


Our Book of Memories

by ikn0wyoukn0w



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Gen, Memory Loss, Reminiscing, friendships are rough, i dont know how to explain this, it took me less that a day to outline and write, its honestly just really sad, its sad and im not sorry, minho and jisung are dating for a minute, so are relationships, then hyunjin and jisung for another minute, these tags are terrible, theyre in college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikn0wyoukn0w/pseuds/ikn0wyoukn0w
Summary: This was based on the title of Onewe's newest comeback "A Book in Memory"The eight of them used to be friends but did the night when Chan fell and scraped his knees ruin them?It's hard growing up but it's harder when you know you're losing your time.Chan kept a book with pictures of his best friends from college because his worst fear was forgetting them.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Lee Minho

Chan opened the book to find a familiar face.

Minho was someone who looked like he didn’t care and sometimes he had times where he did, no one really knew for sure. He acted like he was the only person to exist and did everything for himself. He wasn’t selfish but it was rare for him to do things for others unless it was convenient or helped him in some way as well. In his mind, he was the only one who deserved to be cared about. In all actuality, Chan wasn’t sure why Minho hung around them for as long as he did. 

There was one time when he went back on his opinion of Minho. They were walking together to the business building, Minho had an assignment due that night and he would make it just on time. He always liked to turn his work in just before it was due because it was the most satisfying in his opinion. Chan tagged along so they could grab something to eat on their way back to their shared dorm. The older was trying to cheer Minho up because of how stressed he was due to the ending of the semester. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was walking and he tripped. 

Chan insisted that Minho go turn in his project while he went to a nearby convenience store for some supplies to clean up his knees. He was ignored and the two went together. Chan told Minho that he would miss the deadline if he didn’t turn it in but still, he was ignored. To this day, Chan doesn’t know why Minho decided to miss his deadline. By the time the duo arrived at the building, it was closed and the teacher was gone. This was no surprise because it was well past the time of being due. Minho shrugged it off and they got their food like planned before heading back to the dorm.

The next day, Chan was startled when Minho slammed the room door closed upon arriving from his classes. He could assume why but he still asked. Minho explained that the teacher was having him do a different assignment because he didn’t turn the other one in on time. The sooner he got the assignment in then the better his grade would be. Chan didn’t realize it then but the turn of events the night before is what began the downfall of his friends. Maybe, not blaming himself was part of the problem but in all honesty, he couldn’t remember everything correctly. 

The only thing that Minho seemed to care about was his work. There were things he would put his attention on but he wasn’t sure if it was care or curiosity. Minho took an entire week to finish his new assignment, he spent hours and hours in a single day just working on it. Chan didn’t know what the assignment was about but obviously, it was something big. Chan saw Minho sitting at his desk when he left for his morning classes and saw him sitting in the same place when he came back from his night classes. It was a repeating cycle and Chan wanted to break it but he knew how important it was for him to finish it, so long as it didn’t go on for too long then he really had no problem. Jisung, however, did have a problem with it. 

Minho didn’t leave that room for a week which didn’t land him on Jisung’s good side. It sparked many arguments between the two which were not fun to listen to as Jisung was passionate and dramatic and Minho was just… not. He didn’t meet Jisung’s energy which caused him to become more upset. If Chan was being truthful. It was a long time coming. They were very opposite from each other and though the saying is “opposites attract” these two could not handle it. Minho would rather be inside working than living in Jisung’s party life.

Chan recalled so many arguments that the two would have over the phone because Minho wouldn’t go out and party with his boyfriend and then he would get upset when photos of Jisung hanging all over his friends, drunk as all drunk can be, were posted. Many things made Chan think that Minho did care about Jisung but then many things proved he didn't. 

They broke up before the end of the next weekend. This had Minho focusing on nothing but his work. He became so consumed by it that Chan had to remind him to eat and shower. He was a mess because his work was all he had to focus on. Chan was so concerned for his friend because he couldn’t be there for him like he wanted to. He tried and tried but Minho just rejected it every time.

At some point, Minho became fed up with the constant nagging that Chan did. He lost it. The two got into a very heated argument that had Chan almost in tears because he didn’t know how to help his friend. Chan remembered yelling that Minho didn’t care about anything but his work which led to him and Jisung breaking up. Minho told him that he didn’t care what Chan thought.

“That’s exactly my point. You don’t care about anything except you and your work.”

Chan regretted his words now but then it seemed right. Minho left the dorm for the first time that week and it surprised Chan. He was so exhausted from the entire ordeal that he went to sleep quickly. He wanted to wait up for Minho to come back like he had when the two had first met. Chan found it awkward to be asleep when Minho would return from the library so late so he would wait up to make sure he returned safely before going to sleep with his mind at ease. It ruined his sleep schedule at first but he didn’t mind it. He stopped when Minho began staying in their room to do all of his work. Maybe they could talk things out in the morning when the two had calmed down.

Minho wasn’t there when he woke up. Most of Minho’s things were gone too. The key to their shared dorm hanging on the ring by the door. No warning, no note, no sign of him. Chan was devastated. Minho had blocked him and the rest of their friends on all platforms. It was no use trying to contact him. Chan doesn’t know where Minho is any more or where he had gone all those years ago. Chan hoped that Minho finally found something to care about.


	2. Seo Changbin

Chan turned the page with another breath.

Changbin and Chan had a difficult time when they first met. They weren’t friends and didn’t become friends for a very long time. Actually, Changbin bullied him when they were in high school. It’s not surprising as Chan wasn’t really one to stand up for himself when it wasn’t necessary and the bullying never extended past a push here or there.

When it came time for college Changbin didn’t know anybody… except for Chan who also happened to be a music major. And to Chan’s surprise, Changbin is pretty shy when he doesn’t know anybody. Though it was slow, they became closer and after a while, Changbin began confiding in Chan. When things got tough for either of them they were able to find a way to cheer each other up. That was friendship, however, Changbin would never admit that they were friends. It was surprising when he would think back to high school when Changbin did everything he could to make the day bad for Chan. He was just that type of person. Chan introduced them to their other friends and it was great. Things were good.

But, people never really change. Because with new friends, came new confidence. Changbin made other friends which wasn’t a bad thing in itself. But these friends weren’t good people. He slowly started working insults and backhanded statements into his words. Belittling them and making them feel bad for seemingly no reason. Changbin started getting confused and offended when the group stopped inviting him to things and talking to him altogether. 

Felix took it the worst because of how close they had become in their friendship. Changbin started out with confidence issues which Felix also struggled with and this led him to get his worries out to the older. But, it started going south when Changbin took those talks they had and used them against Felix. Things weren’t looking up for the two and no matter how many times the group tried to confront him, he just acted like he was too cool to be friends with them even if he still hung around occasionally.

Chan remembered receiving a call late into the night sometime during the week. He couldn’t recall how long the group had been distancing themselves from Changbin but that night was the last of it. Felix was on the other end and was crying so hard that he was on the verge of vomiting. He tried to explain that he and Changbin had gotten into a fight and it resulted in him slapping the younger. He left Felix to break down by himself without another word. It was late so Chan let Felix stay over so he could do something about it the next morning.

Changbin had ignored all messages coming from Chan talking about the night before. He tried and tried to let him know that he just wanted to talk things out. When he asked their other friends to attempt, it seemed that he was ignoring all of them. They were blocked soon after. This caused Chan to attempt finding him for a face to face conversation.

He was never without one of his new friends who only egged him on to ignore or bully Chan. This brought him back to their days in high school. The fading memories that had him wary about becoming friends with Changbin in the first place. The same ones that made him wary about introducing him to his friends in worry that he might be doing the wrong thing. This reinforced Chan’s thoughts that people never change.

It was rare to see Changbin after Chan’s last attempt at trying to talk to him. He heard that he dropped out not soon after and he hasn’t seen him since. Chan hoped that Changbin did change. He hoped that he grew out of taking his insecurities out on others as he saw fit. But, Changbin was the reason that Chan stopped trying to help his friends.

People don’t really change. No matter how much you hope that they will. Changbin never changed and Chan was sorry that he never will.


	3. Hwang Hyunjin

He was almost shocked when he turned the page. It was hard for him to recall the face he saw.

Hyunjin wasn’t around for very long. At least, not as long as the rest of them were. The way they had met was awkward and though they laughed about it after it happened, it was no laughing matter at the time. 

Hyunjin and Jisung were in a production that Chan couldn't name together. A simple show that the school’s theater department was putting on. They had been rehearsing a fight scene when Chan came across them. He really thought that Jisung was getting the daylights beaten out of him. They were startled and confused, almost as much as Chan was when he stepped in to stop them. The older didn’t know Hyunjin that well so he didn’t know that they were classmates. He even tried to begin a brawl with Hyunjin for hurting his friend. Of course, things were cleared up and he felt a little embarrassed about it but in his defense, they were being really good actors. 

He started coming around after that. It was occasional at first but then, as if a switch had flipped, he was around just as much as the rest of them were. But, he brought his habits with him. He would convince Jisung to go out and get completely wasted on the weekends. It got so bad that they would even go out on weeknights when they knew they had classes the next morning. The group had never really considered smoking until Hyunjin brought it along. Chan would refuse every time he was offered, he couldn’t remember why, but the others tried it at least once to get Hyunjin off of their backs. He was a pressuring person but the only one who actually wanted to try was Jisung and besides the first time, Minho didn’t let that happen.

Hyunjin was always one of the big reasons that Minho and Jisung would get into their arguments. It was always his idea to go out and get so drunk that they couldn’t remember the night. If someone had told Chan that those two did more than just go to clubs then he would’ve believed it. Hyunjin’s name always came up in their fights, he was one of the main topics. Sometimes, he was on the other end of the line with Jisung while they argued which would always get Minho worked up. Hyunjin convinced Jisung that Minho was trapping him, trying to control him, and didn’t want him to have any fun. 

Chan knows now that Hyunjin knew what he was doing. He knew that he was the problem. Hyunjin was known for being with a new person every other night, sometimes not even that long. Relationships that lasted for less than a week and one night stands that could’ve been just a few hours long for all he knew.

When Jisung and Minho finally broke up, Jisung confided in Hyunjin. They got along even after Minho had left campus. Chan and many others were surprised that they were together for so long. But, because of this, Jisung got his hopes way too high. Not only was he fresh out of a relationship, Hyunjin never stayed in one. It wasn’t going to work no matter what they had done. 

No one was surprised when Jisung had told the group that they broke up. Chan had been the first that Jisung called the night of the event. The next day, Hyunjin was with someone new and it was as if he had never been with Jisung at all. He never came around after that either. Chan figured that the reason Hyunjin did all that he did because he was missing something in himself and was trying to find someone to fill that missing piece. There was a part of Chan that thought that maybe Hyunjin just liked seeing the reactions of what he did to others and how he hurt them. Just like he had his own little experiment going on. 

Chan didn’t feel sorry for Hyunjin. He didn’t hope anything for him either. He was a great friend when he was around but he caused a lot of harm towards all of them. They weren’t the same after he left. Or were they? Chan couldn’t recall all too well anymore.


	4. Han Jisung

Chan smiled fondly as he turned to the next page of his friends.

Jisung and Chan had known each other for a long time. The longest out of all the friends he had in college. They had gone to the same international school when they were younger and their families kept in contact every once in a while for their sake. Their families didn’t actually like each other though. They didn’t know why and it was better if they didn’t ask. As they grew older, they could do it themselves due to new communications and their families kept their distance.

Finding out that they were going to the same school had them ecstatic. Minho was Chan’s roommate which was disappointing because the two had wanted to be in the same dorm. Not soon after Jisung had met Minho, it was like he was their other roommate because of how often he visited. 

When Jisung and Minho had met for the first time it was awkward because of how opposite the two were. It was satisfying watching Jisung slowly bring him out of his shell and a month later it was like they had known each other for years. The two didn’t start dating until the next school year which finally ended the exhausting experience that their friends had to go through. Jisung would pine after him day after day and Minho couldn’t care enough to do the same. It took a huge fight between the two to finally get Minho to confess that he thinks he also had feelings for Jisung. In all honesty, this should’ve been the first and only sign that they weren’t going to be good for each other.

At first, they didn’t fight often, maybe a huge fight every two months. Then, once a month, twice a month. The group knew things were getting worse when they had a different fight every other week. After that, it was multiple every five or so days. Jisung would listen to Hyunjin and agreed that Minho was controlling him. 

Jisung broke up with Minho, which was the first shock. They all assumed that Minho would end things, but they never actually spoke about it. It might’ve been their other problem because they so badly needed to talk things out. 

The next shock was less than a week later when Hyunjin and Jisung walked in claiming that they were together. It was baffling and hard to get used to at first knowing Hyunjin's reputation. Chan knew that people never changed but, like the rest of them, he said nothing of it. 

The group noticed that the two wouldn’t show up to the things they were invited to. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but most of the time they would accept invitations and tell the group that they would attend. They didn’t even try to make up excuses when called out for it so the group stopped doing it. They missed Felix’s big dance performance, they caused all of them to miss Seungmin’s film festival, and they didn’t attend Jeongin’s art show.

Hyunjin knew what he was doing but Jisung didn’t. He was completely oblivious to the manipulation that he was being put through. He began seeing less and less of Jisung. Once a week at most. He could see their friendship falling through as the days passed. It was sad. They had known each other for so many years but this is what would drive them apart.

Jisung was too far gone to hang out with them by the time that Hyunjin had broken up with him. It was as if walking up to a group of strangers and sitting down as if you knew them. The night Jisung called Chan he was so drunk that he was almost hard to understand. Jisung hung up not even five minutes into the call of Chan trying to figure out where he was to make sure he was alright. 

That was the last time he heard from Jisung. Many rumors went around, he dropped out, he finally let his broken heart get the best of him so he ended it all. Chan hoped that he moved back home. Maybe he went back to the international school where they had met years and years ago. Chan hoped that Jisung found someone who could care for him as much as Jisung cared for them. He missed Jisung the most of all of them and he was sorry that he introduced him to his first heartbreak.


	5. Lee Felix

The photos on the next page made his heartache in the way it had every time he looked at them.

Felix was the human equivalent of the sun. He was so bright and cheery all of the time and it was hard not to get along with him. Everyone revolved around him because he gave them the energy they needed as friends. There was never a dull moment with Felix and especially when you put him and Jisung together. 

He was nervous and self-conscious inside though. He didn’t think his skills were as good as everyone told him they were. It didn’t matter what you told him he just didn’t appreciate himself as much as he should have. But, he still knew how to cheer up anyone’s day with a simple smile and corny joke. He tried his best for everyone and even when he was more than enough for them, he tried harder. 

Changbin and his eagle eye for insecurities saw right through the facade he put on every time he was with them. They all saw it but he noticed it right away. The two became close after Changbin confronted him about it. Felix tried to deny that he would always be okay but of course, it broke down under Changbin’s weight. Felix saw Changbin as someone he could relate to due to their own struggles of confidence. His smile was even brighter every day because he was finally able to talk to someone who understood. He was able to be there for the rest of them easier too.

When Changbin began to turn on them and distance himself it only made sense that Felix would feel it the worst. It was worse when Changbin started using those things from their long conversations in an attempt to get Felix off of his back. He had turned against them completely when he began taking most of it out on Felix. 

He was hurt of course, but he didn’t disregard all that Changbin had helped him through. Finally, Felix stood up to him. He told him that he was out of line for doing those things but he could still redeem himself. He spent so long trying to bring out the good in Changbin that he didn’t know that there was no good or great or even decent in Changbin. There were only the masks he used to make them think so.

Changbin was ruthless to Felix and in the end, it became a shouting match between the two. The older felt like he was being challenged which ultimately led to him slapping the younger to put him in his place. He felt no remorse about it either and Felix finally saw who he really was. 

Felix was in an alley when Chan found him because he was so scared that people would see him crying. He hid from everything in fear that all the confidence he had would be thrown down the drain. He spent the night at Chan’s because it was empty due to Minho’s absence. 

The younger slept late into the day and Chan didn’t want to wake him. He planned to skip all but one late afternoon class because of an assignment before he would return to comfort the younger. He wished he could have done more and he also wished he hadn’t gone to class that day at all.

Felix wasn’t there when he returned and Chan didn’t see him for a long time. No one had heard from him. It was weeks, could’ve been a month if he remembered correctly.

When he saw Felix again, it was at his own dorm. The knocking was early in the morning and had woken him. Turns out, Felix had still been on campus but he stopped attending classes and never made it to exams. He flunked out. He was at Chan’s dorm so early in the morning because he was leaving. Felix was moving back home and he wanted to tell Chan that he was thankful for the good friend he had been. He left with a goodbye before the two never talked again. 

Chan hopes that Felix could get to that point where he smiled the brightest, maybe even brighter. When the sun burned out the planets felt it. He hoped that Felix kept his big toothy grin on his face forever. He wanted to see it again. Felix didn’t deserve what he went through because one person who would never change tried to take away his shine.


	6. Kim Seungmin

Another page, another sigh. It became more exhausting every day but he needed to do this.

Seungmin was never open to a single one of them. In fact, they didn’t know much about him at all. The group knew that he was a film major and his name was Seungmin but they couldn’t tell you a single thing about him otherwise. There was no favorite color, favorite food, or favorite song. He just kept it all to himself and for a long time, they thought he just tagged so that he wasn’t alone. They even tried to include him in conversations often but he would give a simple, vague answer and then stop talking. 

They wished that they knew more about him so that they could truly call him one of their friends. Of course, when referring to Seungmin he was their friend but it was an odd relationship when you dug deeper to find that they didn’t know a single thing about him. It wasn’t like they didn’t try but Seungmin didn’t let them know.

When Seungmin had invited them to his film festival they were so excited. One of his films would be presented, judged, and he wanted them there to see it. It was a huge step for him and they were proud of it before they even saw it. They gave him encouragement for weeks and even days so that he had the confidence to get up there and present a speech about it if he won. 

It was the first real connection that the group had made with Seungmin since he started joining them. Chan could never remember how the two even met or if he was the one to introduce the group to him. He couldn’t remember if he started out as knowing another friend before joining. Seungmin was just in his stories at some point.

They were thrilled to see the work of their friend as they sat in front of the screen to view it. They were happy to finally know a part of Seungmin. Chan really felt bad that he never actually got to see the film. He was sad that the only ones who went to watch were him, Felix, and Jeongin but they couldn’t even stay.

Jisung and Hyunjin informed them that they had ended up at the police station for who knows what because it was so hard to understand them with all the noise and their slurred words from the other end. Chan had to go pick them up before they got themselves into any trouble. Felix offered to come with so he had help dealing with them and Jeongin followed because he was too afraid to be left alone at the showing.

The lack of a connection that they had with Seungmin made them feel almost no guilt about leaving and missing the film that their friend had presented that day. Chan had found out later that the assignment he had made the film for had to be about a personal struggle which led Seungmin to make it about his trouble opening up to new people. The film had been about the group of friends that were no longer friends and how he was thankful that they didn’t push him to tell them things. They waited patiently for him to do it all by himself and they would make him feel welcome. The production itself was his first move towards actually opening up to them.

The film won. Chan never knew if Seungmin did his speech or what his speech was about. He didn’t come around after that and they all knew why. He saw him around occasionally but he graduated easily and Chan never heard from him again. He knows that if the trio had stayed in their seats that day that things would be completely different. Not to say that they wouldn’t have ended up the same but maybe it would’ve taken longer instead. 

Chan hoped that Seungmin was able to find people where he could show himself without regretting it. He hoped that he could trust those people who wouldn’t take him for granted and he was sorry that he couldn’t be one of those people.


	7. Yang Jeongin

He tilted his head at the last page. It was void of any photos.

Jeongin always had a light heart. He was an art major but he wasn’t sure if that was actually what he wanted to do. He had his sights set on so many things and experiences. His parents had sheltered him and though they were supportive of whatever he chose to do, they still made him pressured to finish school. Jeongin chose art on a whim because he still didn’t know what he wanted to do and as creative or colorful as he was, he just couldn’t turn it into a passion.

He would tell them stories and stories about running away from it all. He would lead everything behind and make a new life for himself. One where he didn’t have to be afraid. Of course, his friends would always tell him that he wouldn’t do it because there was always something that he was going to be afraid of. Jeongin would claim that it was just a story or joke and then go on to tell another one.

Jeongin stayed in a lot due to the way he was raised. He liked inside better than he liked outside. He still went out because it was refreshing to experience a new thing here and there. Jeongin knew in his heart that his jokes about running away were projections of what he really wanted. He truly did want to leave all he had behind. He just wouldn’t because he didn’t know where it would lead him. 

Chan was the only one to go to his art show. He wasn’t surprised when he arrived and no one had contacted him back to tell him if they could make it or not. He smiled fondly when he found Jeongin at the front all dressed up to present his piece. Chan felt his own heartbreak when he had to tell the younger that it would just be him because he couldn’t get a hold of their friends, the ones that were still around anyway.

Jeongin’s excited expression never faltered as he still leads Chan to his piece. It was near the back of the exhibit which already had viewers swarming other pieces but no one even glanced at Jeongin’s and Chan understood why when he was standing in front of it himself.

It was a completely blank canvas. There was nothing on or around it. Jeongin’s smile grew when Chan tilted his head in confusion. He explained that for his final he had no idea what to create. He sat in front of his paints and canvas for hours with no thoughts about what to make. So, he turned in the blank canvas expecting a bad grade. His professor read too much into it and assumed it was deeper than it was. Jeongin was told that it was perfect for the art show and there it was displayed with other paintings that deserved more recognition.

The next day Jeongin was gone. Chan woke up and at this point, he could feel when things weren’t as they were before. Jeongin left Chan a simple message that read “Even if I fall I’ll keep running.” which was deleted shortly after it was seen. Chan didn’t remember how he felt then but he knew that he was going to be alone.

Chan remembered why this page was blank. Not only did it remind him of the last thing about Jeongin. It was because Chan no longer had pictures of the younger. All of the ones with him in the shot had been deleted from his phone and Jeongin’s social media had been deleted. It was as if Yang Jeongin had ceased to exist. 

Chan hoped that Jeongin had run so far that he finally found something that he had a passion for. He felt sorry that he couldn’t help him find something like that before he left. He hoped that Jeongin got to see the world for what it really was. But, he knew that he would never stop running now that he finally wasn’t afraid anymore.


	8. Bang Chan (Christopher?)

Chan closed the book filled with photos. It only had seven pages and one was dedicated to each of his friends. 

Chan remembered watching the entire ordeal between the eight of them unfold and he only got involved when he needed to. He has kicked himself daily for it since then. He wished he had been a good friend to them. He wanted to go back in time and fix all of it. He wanted to stop it from happening. That would never be the case though.

What was it all for? Chan sighed. He had graduated successfully and lived on his own but now what? He was still holding onto the past that didn’t exist anymore. If he looked at the bigger picture then none of it would matter in 20 years, he wanted it to matter so badly, but it wouldn’t.

Chan needed to let go. Let go of his worries, his concerns, his tears, and most of all himself. He hurt them by doing nothing to keep them together. Each time someone left he sat still and put in no more effort than the rest of them. Chan would never change. He let them fall apart. Falling and scraping his knees all those years ago was not the start of their downfall- no because it was a long time coming, Chan could hope all he wanted to but they were not meant to be friends- tripping that night was what started the chaos that eventually led to the ruin of the eight of them. 

Chan was sorry that he couldn’t keep them together but he was hopeful that they’re on better paths. Maybe not the best ones, but better ones at least. He hadn’t planned to let himself go that evening while holding the book of those he cherished the most, close to his chest. His sickness was supposed to be getting better because the doctors said that he had it for so long and still remembered. They told him that it wouldn’t get to him as it had got to others. But, that book was the only reason his mind had gone so long without giving up.

Chan’s family reached out to all of them to let them know that he had finally left too. This was their final shock. Chan had never mentioned that he was slowly fading away from them as they were from him. But that was Chan’s problem. He always lied to protect them from the pain. Only one of them attended his funeral because it wasn’t like they were all still friends.

A few days after the funeral, six of them received a message telling them to meet at the studio that Chan would work. They felt something tighten in their chest as they remembered the times that Chan would bring them there and show them his new work. They would tell him that he would be the next top artist if he kept producing. They told him not to forget to mention them when he won his first big award. 

They went. He never met each other’s eyes when they were finally in the same room after so many years apart. Felix was the last to arrive and when he looked up and counted all of them he let that bright smile that he wore in college spread across his face. He had a book in his hands that was given to him by Chan’s family.

Felix was the only one to attend Chan’s funeral out of respect for the older. When Chan’s family found him they told him to take the small photo book. They explained to Felix that he only remembered things that were attached to the stories that came from the people in the book. He made sure to look through the book and tell the stories daily so he didn’t forget them. He told them many times in a day if he felt that his mind was especially slipping. They told Felix that he didn’t want to forget the best friends he ever had.

They all looked through the book and recalled the good memories between them. But, they still had their own lives to live. They each took a photo from their respective section, one that included themselves and Chan in the shot. The book itself was given to Jeongin as he had no photos inside because of his exit from Chan’s life. 

The group of seven didn’t talk again after that. They went home and never again entered their other narratives. Chan’s death didn’t bring them closer but it made them remember who they had been before those months of struggling with each other. They didn’t live happier lives nor did they live better lives. It wasn’t a fairytale with a happy ending. It was life. 

It was their book of memories.


End file.
